In this Feb. 7 photo, a life-size bronze statue of pathfinder Kit Carson,. , Nev., Carson guided John C. Fremont's expedition when it passed through the largely unknown Great Basin from 1843 to 1844.

Written by

ED VOGEL
Las Vegas Review-Journal

When you live in or near the state's capital city, it's hard to miss Kit Carson's influence.

There's Carson City, the Carson Valley, the Carson Pass and the Carson River. He also merits not just a mountain but the entire Carson Range, west of Reno and Carson City.

A life-size bronze statue of the pathfinder atop his horse stands in the mall between the Legislative Building and the Capitol, and the local library is full of juvenile books about the man who guided John C. Fremont's expedition when it passed through the largely unknown Great Basin from 1843 to 1844. Kit Carson is our hero. ...